A Delicate Situation
by Deceptive Lies
Summary: Hermione wasn't exactly certain on just how she ended up living with the infamous prankster and twin extraordinaire, Fred Weasley. A few too many drinks and this is where she ended up. Now to explain this new situation to the rest of the Weasley clan may prove to be... a little delicate.
1. A Bad Day

When Hermione was younger, and times were infinitely less complicated, she used to play this game where she would think of all the choices she had made, and determine how her life would be if she had chose differently. At the time, it was with silly little things such as choosing the pink dress over the blue, or the book on romance over the history text. As she got older, joining Hogwarts, and eventually participating in a war, she kept up with my game. The choices she debated on then were matters of life and death, or perhaps life-altering. She was playing this game now, as she wondered if breaking up with Ron was her best choice.

It has been three months since their graduation from Hogwarts, and Hermione, despite being young and fresh out of school, was knee deep in Ministry work. They were quick to accept her application to work for the Department of Care and Regulation of Magical Creatures, and she often found myself bringing work home. Not that she… you know… actually had a home.

It was quite a complicated set-up, to be completely honest. After the war, the brightest-witch-of-her-age was quick to go to Australia to fix the memories of her parents. They were suitably angry at her, of course, however they were much too relieved that they were all actually alive to hold a grudge. Once the summer came to an end, the golden trio all went back to Hogwarts to complete their missing education, before finally graduating. It was at this time that Hermione's carefully thought out plans seemed to go to the wayside.

Harry and Ron were accepted into the Auror training program, an intensive one-year course which basically cut them off from the outside world. They all knew it was inevitable, it was the boys dream after all. Hermione and Ron had spent the entirety of the previous year in romantic bliss. After the horrors experienced during the war, it was amazing to have a year at Hogwarts absolutely drama free.

Yet once the boys were accepted into the program, both Ron and Hermione agreed that it would be ridiculous to stay together when they wouldn't even be in contact for a year, so they went on a break. Well, it _was_ Hermione's idea, but it was still a good one. It took a bit of convincing for Ron to agree, however at the end, she had convinced him that it was for the best. Plus, she reasoned, it wasn't like the moment he came back, they wouldn't get back together. It was just a break after all.

Ginny on the other hand, was also accepted into a kind of training, as a chaser for the Hollyhead Harpies. As a professional quidditch player, she had to live in the player dorms with the rest of her teammates. The schedule for training and games was so ridiculous, that she barely had time to visit her family once every two months or so. Still, she was happy. Her relationship with Harry was as strong as ever, not feeling the need to go on a break like Hermione did.

This all brought Hermione to her current predicament. As she was still working an entry level position at the Ministry, she didn't exactly make enough to completely support herself. So for the last three months, she has been residing at the Burrow. Alone with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

Hermione was starting to get uncomfortable. It was one thing when all of the other guys were around, keeping her company. She had never felt like and outsider then. Now though, as the only child around, and without any other Weasley kid here, Hermione couldn't help but feel as though she was intruding. Mrs. Weasley told her several times that she loved having her around, since the Burrow felt less empty. Yet still, the young witch couldn't shake off the feeling.

Hermione wasn't Ron's girlfriend anymore. At least, not _officially._ So frankly, she felt as though the Weasleys had no reason to put up with her, she's the girl who broke up with their prodigal son. Hermione decided that she needed to find a place to live. Fast.

* * *

Leaving the Burrow this morning to work was an absolute chore. At breakfast, Mrs. Weasley had once more decided to question Hermione about her decision in regards to breaking up with Ron. When Hermione explained, for the seventy-third time, why it made for sense for them to go on a break, Mrs. Weasley dismissed it all with a huff.

At work, Hermione's boss thought it would appropriate to give her a mountain of paperwork to fill out. Usually, this wouldn't be a problem, as Hermione was always very diligent and hard working. Today, however, Hermione was also set to give a presentation on the Vampire Reparation Act, a speech she had been preparing for for the last several weeks.

By the end of the day, Hermione wanted nothing more than a few shots of alcohol running through her system. Making her way down to the Leaky Cauldron, she found herself completely distracted by her thoughts. Taking yet another shot of fire whisky, she somehow failed to notice the tall, well-built man who occupied the seat next to hers.

"A sickle for your thoughts?" Hermione quickly pivoted in her chair to see the incredibly familiar grin of one Fred Weasley.

Smiling slightly, she responded, "Hello Fred. Fancy seeing you here."

Fred flagged down the bartender, ordering two shots of firewhisky, "I work down the road dear Granger, and frankly, I practically live at this bar. But I never thought that _the_ Miss. Hermione Granger would _ever_ be seduced by the powers of alcohol."

"Shove off Fred. I'm not in the mood." The power of the strong liquor had already begun, numbing her mind and jumbling her filter.

Fred gasped loudly, his hand placed over his heart, "My my Granger! What powerful language! Tell me, what book did you learn that in?"

Hermione leveled a glare at the older half of the infamous Weasley twins, "Fred, why are you here?"

The prankster shrugged, downing a shot, "Like I said, it's close to the shop. Plus, a lot of cute ministry workers come here after long shifts. It's a great place to meet women." He said this with a grin, shooting a particularly flirtatious wink to an attractive girl down the bar.

Hermione rolled her eyes, completely accustomed to the playboy ways of the Weasley Twins, "Where's your other half?"

Fred smirked cruelly, "Ah, well it seems that my lovely twin has went and gotten himself a girlfriend."

Hermione couldn't see the problem with that, "So? George has a new girlfriend every other week. So do you in fact."

Fred downed yet another shot, "But this girlfriend seems to be a serious one."

Hermione laughed, "What, do you guys have some weird pact where you promised that neither of you would ever get serious girlfriends?"

The tall man just gestured for another shot before answering, "Not particularly."

"Then why do you care that George has a girlfriend?"

"I don't. I care that it's Angelina."

Hermione almost spat out her drink, "Wait. Angelina? Your ex-girlfriend Angelina?"

"That would be the one."

"But… but… how?!"

Fred sighed, leaning back in his stool, "It seems that they've been actually dating for a while now. They just haven't told me until they were sure that they were in love."

"But George is as infamous a playboy as you, how-"

"He stopped months ago. He told me it was because he was concentrating on our new Hogsmeade expansion."

Hermione didn't know that they were expanding their store to Hogsmeade, it turns out the shop was doing better than she suspected. However she knew it probably wasn't the right time to bring up business, "They told you today?"

Fred nodded, "Yeah. Well, that, and the fact that George is moving out to live with Angelina."

"You're kidding."

"Nope. Seems like they truly are in love." Raising his glass, he toasted, "To my twin and my ex. May you find happiness!"

"Fred, I don't know what to say." Hermione said softly. She really didn't. She never was particularly close to the twins, she never had a reason to be. They were merely Ron's older brothers. But the rumor grapevine in Hogwarts ran well. She knew that Fred and Angelina dated for a while, and that she was his only serious girlfriend. No one knows why they broke up, only that sometime during their seventh year, they just decided to call it quits. Since then, Fred has been known to partake in many… uh… extra curricular activities.

Fred waved his hand, "There's nothing to say. Anyways, now that I spilled out my soul for you, what's got you down Granger?"

Hermione, now reminded of her predicament, couldn't help the sigh she released, "It's just… Living in the burrow by myself, with _just_ your parents is… I don't know…" She didn't want to continue. This was _his family_ after all.

"Awkward?" He guessed.

" _Yes_. Very awkward. You know I love your parents, but now that Ron and I aren't technically together anymore… I don't know, it just doesn't feel right living with them." She confessed.

Fred grinned down at the short witch, "Well then, I guess you're in luck. With George moving out, I happen to have an empty room."

Hermione's eyes widened, "You want me to move in with you?"

Fred shrugged, "I'm used to having a roommate, I don't exactly fancy living alone. And something tells me that living with me won't be as bad as living with my mother. _I_ at least won't pester you about breaking up with Ron."

"You have a point there."

Fred, a showman to the very end, got down on one knee, "Hermione Jean Granger, would you do me the honor of moving in with me?"


	2. A Peculiar Plan

"So this is it! Welcome to your new home!" Fred dramatically cried as he opened the front door to his flat. Hermione was surprised to see how clean it was, if not just a bit eclectic. The walls were colored a light, subtle shade of orange, while the furniture was in all other different bold colors. It was odd, mismatched, yet it somehow worked. Hermione bit down a giggle, that was so like the twins. Colorful, yet simultaneously beautiful.

The flat was open, a large living room connected to the kitchen, with a large marble island. Perhaps the most surprising part was the grand bookcase that covered one side of the room, filled to the brim with multiple tomes and books of every size.

"It's… It's actually really nice." She spoke honestly, throwing her gaze to the books. Since when did the Weasley twins read?

Fred chuckled, "Try not to look too surprised. I've been living away from home for almost four years now."

Hermione fought off a small blush, "You know I didn't mean it like that."

"I know," He grinned, "But I really do enjoy seeing your embarrassed blush."

The bright witch threw a glare at the elder wizard, "So are you going to show me around?"

"Well of course! Follow me, my lady." Offering his arm, Hermione giggled as she linked hers around his. "This is the living room, where I assume you will spend much of your free time perusing through my collection of books."

"Speaking of which, why do you have so many books? I never took you for much of a reader."

Fred narrowed his eyes, "I do have other hobbies you know."

"Well… yeah… I mean of course." She stammered.

He grinned in response, "Merlin Hermione, you're too easy."

Smacking him in the arm, she then gestured for him to continue the grand tour. "The kitchen is over here, where we have all the appliances you could ever dream of having."

"Uh, Fred… Why are there two refrigerators?"

"Well one is for actual food, while the second is for our potion ingredients that don't fit downstairs. Some concoctions really need to be regulated in specific temperatures for long periods of time, and I feel better if they're near me."

Hermione's eyes widened in surprise. She never really put much thought into how Fred and George made their pranks, but now she was starting to realize just how much work has to be put into it. "So which one is for your potions? I would hate to put my edible food in there."

"The gray one. The blue is for food."

"Gray one, got it."

Fred's eyes twinkled in amusement, "Relax Granger, you already got the room. No need to take notes for an interview."

"You can never be too prepared."

"Oh, the things I would do to have you work for me." He sighed.

Hermione raised a brow incredulously, "You want me to work for you?"  
"Obviously! Not only are you the brightest witch of her age, you are also incredibly meticulous and organized. Plus, I trust you inexplicably. With you around, I can cut back the time I spend dealing with finances and spreadsheets, turning my attention towards brewing instead."

"You really like potions, huh?"

Fred smiled softly, "I really do. George is better as charms, absolutely brilliant to be completely honest. But potions; that's the one subject I never struggled with."

Hermione smiled. Fred happened to look very… _cute_ when he smiled that way. Shaking her head to banish the traitorous thoughts, she responded, "Well, I hate to disappoint, but I already have a job."

"Ah yes, working for the Ministry. Well good luck with that, and if you ever come to the realization that perhaps it's not worth it, there's always a spot for you in Weasley's Wizard Wheezes."

Granger grinned, "I appreciate it. So which ones my room?"

* * *

Somehow, really Hermione had no idea how it happened, she ended up staying for dinner. "We need to get to know each other better," Fred reasoned, "It'll be a shame to let mothers casserole go to waste when I'm the only one around to eat it."

She supposed she could have told the prankster that she, in fact, actually _lived_ with his mother, thus had access to all her cooking. But she presumed, quite correctly, that Fred probably had a dozen more excuses behind his back, so really it was better to just give in.

Currently, she was in the process of dying of laughter as Fred recounted one of his many, _many_ adventures in Hogwarts, "No no, I swear! Umbridge was so angry, that she chased us for two whole floors! I didn't even know her short stubby feet could actually carry her that far, but I digress."

Hermione wiped away a tear, "How did you and George even pull that off?"

Fred gasped dramatically, his hand placed on his heart, "My dear Granger! You should know by now that a prankster doesn't reveal his secrets."

"Well of course," She drawled sarcastically, "How dare I ever have such traitorous thoughts?"

He shook his head in mock anger, "And here I thought you were better than this, truly I am disappointed."

Hermione bowed her head, "My sincerest apologies, how could I ever make up for these vile transgressions?"

Fred pretended to give it deep thought, stroking his chin in wonder, "Hmm, perhaps I will let you off easy. How good are you at cleaning charms?"

The young witch raised her brow, questioning the sudden inquiry, "I _do_ live with your mother."

Fred grinned in response, "Perfect! I'll cook, you clean! See, I knew you would make the perfect roommate!"

"You can cook?"

"Granger, I _am_ a potion enthusiast. Surely you realize that could translate to putting a few ingredients together."

Hermione smiled, "Oh thank Merlin, because I can't cook at all."

"I do believe that this is the start to a wonderful partnership." He declared, raising his glass.

Hermione clinked her cup with his, "Permitting that we don't kill each other first."

* * *

That night, Hermione had to be very careful as she snuck back inside the burrow. It was later than she thought, her having spent more time than she presumed having dinner with Fred. It was odd, she thought, how much she got along with her ex's older brother. In fact, it was down right bizarre. They never really interacted during their years at Hogwarts, unless it was to lecture the twins on testing their products on the poor first years. Really, that was basically the extent of their relationship. He was Ron's older brother, a prankster admired by the entire student body, and if rumors were to be believed, a quite infamous playboy.

Yet here she was, actually considering moving in with him. She knew that if Ron were here, he wouldn't exactly be happy about this situation. He was… well, a jealous man to be completely honest. Despite it being his own brother, he wouldn't let his girlfriend move in with an unattached man. _Especially_ one with a reputation like Fred's.

But Ron wasn't here. There was to be no contact with him for another nine months. He would have absolutely no idea that she was going be live with his brother, not she was looking forward to telling him. Speaking of which, she also had no clue as to how she was going to break the news to either. Molly had been nothing short of fantastic with her, patient and caring, truly taking over the role of a mother figure to her. It would hurt her when Hermione left, of that she was certain. But Hermione knew she didn't have a choice, she couldn't live with Mr. and forever.

They had spoken all throughout dinner, outlining their plan, as well as certain house rules. Fred had been absolutely wonderful, giving Hermione such a great rent price, that she was certain she was taking advantage of the red-haired man. When she brought up the concern to him, he waved her away. He made more than enough money to cover the costs, in fact, he said that he would have let her stay completely for free if he wasn't certain that Hermione would be offended. She smiled at that memory, for a man who didn't spend much time with her, he certainly knew her well enough.

Both agreed that telling his mother about their new, _peculiar_ , living situation wasn't their best bet. She would never permit Fred and Hermione living together; two unattached adults living alone under the same roof was _not_ okay to the matriarch. Especially when they consider that she was still in the process of planning Hermione's wedding to her youngest son.

According to Fred, George will be completely moved out by the end of the week. His new girlfriend Angelina lived in Hogsmeade, where the twins were opening their second branch. That way, George will be able to live close by to their new store, running it while Fred continued overlooking the original.

This left Hermione exactly six days to pack everything up, and find a way to explain to Molly that she was leaving. _Without_ letting it slip just who exactly she was moving in with. She took a deep breathe, this wasn't going to be easy.


End file.
